Pauline

[Neil Freeman]

.... but still not a single one in the garden

I've had a couple hanging around my buddlieas for a couple of days now, joined by a third this afternoon. From their condition (good) I reckon they are home grown, the offspring of the earlier influx, although I didn't see any of those locally.

Nice Brown Hairstreak photos Now that is a species I really must try and catch up with.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Pauline]

Wondered where you'd gone - not been the same without you. Wouldn't get too excited about the BH just yet if my experience anything to go by

Haven't reached my garden yet Goldie

Nice Brown Hairstreak photos Now that is a species I really must try and catch up with.

Hope you find it easier going than me Neil

It has not been for the want of trying but I have so far only seen 2 BH. Reports I have had indicate that I am not the only one who has failed to find any/many. I have to ask if they are just emerging late, emerging in a sporadic fashion or whether the numbers are low for various reasons. This time last year I was watching many females egg-laying. Today I checked many Blackthorn where I can normally see eggs at this time of year again without success, meaning that the females are not coming down to lay yet. I recall 10 years ago when it was unusual to find BH before the 4-5 August but after that date sightings were usually reliable. In recent years it seems we have got used to seeing them at the end of July. I looked back at my records for last year when I visited Noar Hill to look for them close on 3 dozen times. Sometimes I visited twice daily, sometimes 3 times - at different times of the day and in different weather. Over the period of 6 weeks or so I saw many BH despite the drought which caused their unusual behaviour at the start of the season. Many visits I saw 2, 3 even 4 BH and there were only 3 visits when I failed to see any. Some of the earliest BH I saw looked as if they had emerged at least a couple of days earlier. The successful visits were:

24/7
25/7
27/7
31/7
2/8
13/8
14/8
17/8
21/8
23/8
30/8
3/9
9/9
10/9
13/9

It will be interesting to see how this pans out over the next few weeks. I am sure a number of folk will have a number of theories but I very much hope that this does not turn out to be a downward trend. In the absence of any more shots so far this year I shall leave you with an individual from last September:

[Pauline]

Thought I'd include a couple of shots of the site where I've been spending so much time recently:

Today I am monitoring Violet (budgie). The prolapse has recurred a couple of times and if this happens I have to manipulate it back in again until the various treatments she is getting start to kick in, including hormone injections. In between that I am trying to keep an eye on the Common Blue pupa. I'll be lucky if I get to see it emerge. Any guesses on when that might be?

[essexbuzzard]

The fact you can see the blue wings through the skin of the chrysalis, I recon within the next couple of days, Pauline!

[Goldie M]

Hi! Pauline , a great shot of the Hair Streak I hope your Budgie is okay and getting well
You seem to have the knack for finding the unexpected Pauline but it's an ugly chrysalis Hope the Butterfly looks better Goldie

[Pauline]

Hi Goldie

I'm going to have to beg to differ on this one . I find the pupal stage of butterflies (and some moths) fascinating (and attractive). Just to labour the point I'm going to post another few of the same pupa as I watched it change this morning as the butterfly prepared to emerge:

Just be thankful I'm not posting all 300 shots I took! Look how the colour and shape changes though as the butterfly peels itself away from the pupal case and moves down in preparation for emergence. It leaves a kind of translucent effect which seems to reflect the light and I find that really hard to cope with photographically.

BTW, thank you for asking after Violet. She is at the vet again tomorrow for last hormone injection. Still on Baytril (antibiotic) and both food and water are being loaded with calcium. She is obviously depleted after laying all those eggs but I hadn't realised that muscles need calcium to contract so until she has absorbed sufficient the cloaca will continue to prolapse. Working my socks off for this one

[Pauline]

Thanks Mark - you were spot on. The Common Blue emerged this morning. After waiting for quite a few hours it is all over ever so quickly (under a minute) and you don't get any second chances. I'll just post the whole sequence I took this morning and let others tell me how I could have done it better - I always welcome constructive criticism. The first indication I had that something was about to happen was a slight lifting of one wing and a tremble in the antennae:

[essexbuzzard]

I think you have done a pretty good job there, Pauline, no constructive criticism from me! Congratulations-a new addition to the family!

[Wurzel]

Good to see the Brostreaks have finally started emerging at Shipton Pauline - cracking image - I tried a couple of times before Portugal but no luck, and now I'm back the weather looks shocking - typical Oh well may see you staring at a hedge next week

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

No BH images from Shipton from me Wurzel - all from NH. Hope you had a great time in Portugal.

That's really kind of you Mark. I couldn't let him go without taking a few more shots after release. I had hoped HE was going to be a SHE as I saw this egg being laid by a gorgeous blue female and wanted to know what the offspring would look like. I confess I felt a little protective as he was still dripping meconium when released even tho it was several hours after emergence. Another male had a go at him. He didn't retaliate but hid under a leaf - the only open wing shot I have of him.

[David M]

Thanks for sharing those fascinating images of the Common Blue emerging from its pupa, Pauline. What a beautiful insect.

Fingers crossed that Violet makes a full recovery.

[Goldie M]

Yes! the butterfly is much better looking than the Pupal Fantastic series of shots Pauline

I still feel amazed that the caterpillar changes into a chrysalis and then into a Butterfly, Nature is wonderful!!!! Goldie

[Wurzel]

"No BH images from Shipton from me Wurzel"...I missed the bit in Mike's reply where he reckoned Noar Hill would be a better bet

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Fascinating emergence shots Pauline. I must admit I thought you had the wrong species with the first few shots after emerging, he looks uncannily like a Chalkhill at first!

[Pauline]

Pleased you liked them D. I'll report back on Violet idc when outcome is more certain but thanks for that.

Glad you liked the butterfly M but another pupa on the way

No worries Wurzel - don't know how you keep up as well as you do

Cheers Paul - no Chalkhills on the site he came from so I had no doubt on that score but there are SSB and if I hadn't seen the egg being laid I would have wondered given the colours/markings showing at the pupa stage.

The gales here are bending the plants double and blowing away anything that isn't tied down but as I type I have a Large White fluttering helplessly round the flowers trying to find some refuge. Unlike the butterfly I haven't yet ventured out so just a quick update on the RA/Painted Lady/Comma The Comma has now pupated but whether he will emerge in time to appear in this years diary remains to be seen.

One butterfly I would love to rear is the LTB so if anyone knows anyone who knows someone who may just have an egg-laying female in their garden please do get in touch

[David M]

..The Comma has now pupated but whether he will emerge in time to appear in this years diary remains to be seen.

I think you'd have to make an exception for such a thing, Pauline.

That would be a fascinating sequence of images.

[Pauline]

Nice try David

You should know that I've done this sequence before, 2017:

and 2015:

...added to that I returned home today to find this:

[trevor]

Great Comma sequence, Pauline. they don't come fresher than that!.

Trevor.

[Wurzel]

I'm with Trevor on this - a fantastic sequence Pauline

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pauline]

Cheers Trevor - much appreciated

Today I was unable to find any sign of 2nd brood Glanville but managed to locate 2 further webs - not easy as they are tucked securely away. The first was very active with dozens of larva - the difference in the second web was marked. Clearly a 'hibernation' web with the larva securely inside. I tentatively touched this web and was amazed at just how robust it was. I had imagined it would feel like a spider's web but it felt more like tarpaulin. Fascinating!!!

The 'hibernation' web was not near any Plaintain and the grasses around it had been pulled together like a mini wig-wam. I am assuming that in the Spring the larva will abandon this winter tent and construct a new web near a food source?